Canadian Minister of Health Mark Holland announced on Jan. 29 that the federal government will be postponing the planned expansion of its Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID) euthanasia program that was meant to include mentally ill people.
The proposed expansion, originally scheduled for March 17, is now on hold as the government needs more time to ensure the system is adequately prepared. The MAID program contains provisions for its expansion to eventually allow people living in Canada with a mental illness to petition for the government's assisted suicide program. (Related: Survey: Nearly 3 in 10 Canadians believe the poor and homeless should be eligible for assisted suicide.)
"We agree with the conclusion that the committee has come to – that the system is not ready and more time is required," he said. Holland did not provide a specific timeline, but he assured the media that the expansion would occur eventually. Holland affirmed that the intention is still to move forward with MAID for mental illness but "those individuals are gonna have to wait a little longer."
Holland added that the decision was in line with many provinces, whose healthcare officials and mental health professionals brought up concerns over the quick expansion of MAID. He mentioned that a parliamentary response would be tabled in the coming days to address these concerns.
"There are people who have, for decades, been trapped in mental torture, being in a horrific situation where they have tried everything and exhausted all avenues and under their own recognizance are saying that they want access to MAID. What we're saying is that in order for someone in that intractable situation... that eventually they should have that right, but the system needs to be ready, and the system needs to get it right," he said.
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Conservative MPs and life advocates have been fighting against MAID expansion since 2023
The proposed expansion of MAID in 2023 has sparked a heated debate across Canada. The controversial proposal has ignited a fierce backlash from conservative members of parliament (MPs) and advocacy organizations, prompting the government to delay the expansion until March 17. These critics have been working since 2023 to ensure the blocking of MAID expansion and the overturning of the legal euthanasia bill.
For instance, Alex Schadenberg of the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition (EPC) argued that individuals with mental illnesses may not have the same decision-making capacity and questioned the concept of an "irremediable mental condition," a crucial criterion for MAID eligibility.
"How could you say that someone with a mental illness has an irremediable mental condition?" asked Schadenberg.
Conservative MP Ed Fast also took a stand against the proposed changes and introduced Bill C-314 in the Canadian House of Commons in 2023. During its second reading in May, Fast expressed his apprehensions about the intention of the government to widen the scope of MAID.
Fast warned that the government is on a path to include "more and more defenseless Canadians, most particularly those living with disabilities," suggesting that Canada could become the world's most liberal jurisdiction for assisted suicide. He emphasized concerns about extending the "treatment option" to minors, which he believes is a step too far.
"Canadians have a right to conclude that the Liberal government has gone too far and too fast in its zeal to implement and expand the scope of assisted death. My bill will reverse this momentum and repeal the government's decision to extend MAID to the mentally ill. It will put a full stop to the expansion of assisted suicide to mentally disordered persons," Fast said at the time.
Visit Euthanasia.news for more news related to medically assisted suicide done in hospitals.
Watch the video below that talks about assisted suicide and how fragile public opinion on this is.
This video is from the CHP Canada channel on Brighteon.com.
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Anti-life group lobbies for BC Canada Catholic hospitals to carry out ASSISTED SUICIDE.
Canada attempting to expand EUTHANASIA program to allow assisted suicide of the mentally ill.
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